At the time, the Galleria shopping mall and the Delmar Loop were experiencing a surge in fights, vandalism and theft mostly involving juvenile suspects. The theory, supported by store managers and others at the Galleria and Loop, was that the teenage troublemakers arrived via MetroLink.

Why blame MetroLink and not other modes of transportation such as Metro's buses? Because MetroLink allows passengers to travel for free by asking them to obey an honor system for purchasing tickets.

But could it be that MetroLink serves as more than just an alleged conduit to crime? Could it also shuttle life forms more wild than criminals? That's what Bill McClellan suggests in a column this morning in the Post-Dispatch. McClellan writes of having witnessed deer in Forest Park on numerous occasions in recent weeks. When he called up the park commissioner for an explanation of how the animals could possibly have arrived at an urban park, McClellan was told that the deers probably followed the MetroLink tracks.

Doe! A double-whammy for MetroLink. How will the transit agency handle this one?